The cover stories in the Jan. 11, 1945 Forest Park Review give a flash to the local and world news that touched Forest Park in one week.
Front-page stories included the night-school classes offered at Proviso, which included dress-making, cosmetics, business courses, shorthand and millinery. The announcement that Sgt. Edward Hitz, who lived at 322 Maple, was “Killed in action in France.” Air Force Bombardier and Staff Sergeant Harry B. Leich, a “crazy Yank,” serving as the tail gunner of the “Lucky Strike” was decorated. Pvt. G. Zak was missing and two other locals were wounded on the European front and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Albright, 433 Marengo, received a Presidential Citation and Purple Heart to honor their son who died in action the previous November. Meanwhile, the Postmaster General announced the replacement of Money Orders with Postal Notes. The paper also listed the Forest Parkers who donated blood recently. And they took note of a robin that had stayed in Forest Park for the winter at 1019 Lathrop rather than flying south.
The lead was: “Mayor Enforces Tavern Laws”:
“Mayor Fred C. Becker is to be commended for his recent action in suspending a local tavern owner’s license for 15 days after a hearing which proved conclusively that the conduct of the place was unbecoming a tavern in Forest Park. We also throw in a few orchids for Chief Karl Hartneck, who saw to it that the edict was enforced. This action sets a precedent which should serve as a warning to all local tavern owners, present and future, that the laws regulating taverns have teeth and that we have a Mayor and Chief of Police who have the gumption to enforce them.
“We have no quarrel with the taverns of Forest Park. In fact, having a speaking acquaintance with most of the proprietors, we have high regard for them. We recognize the fact that the tavern business is one of Forest Park’s leading industries. We acknowledge that the village collects over $25,000 a year in license fees from the 53 taverns. We are happy to admit that taverns are a “soft touch” for charitable enterprises in Forest Park and from time to time can be depended upon to make a large contribution to some very worthy cases in the community. We can’t say very much more about this local industry except to relate that most of the owners conduct their places in a very orderly manner and in spite of the fact on some occasions a customer becomes unruly and they seem to know how to handle him. However, some tavern owners, due perhaps to the inexperience, or perhaps the fact that they wish to make every penny they can, will let their customers get out of hand and gradually create a nuisance to the neighborhood. Hence the regulation by the state and village. Very similar to the laws regulating factories, garages and stores.
“Heretofore, certain tavern owners have seemed immune to the laws. They ‘got away’ with staying open after hours, serving liquor to minors, operating loud and disorderly places, cheating with slot machines, and in general making it bad not only for the neighbors, but also for the tavern owners who were conducting their places in an orderly fashion. Previously no one seemed to have the nerve to ‘get tough’ with such taverns and outside of a warning occasionally, no attempt was made to show who was boss.
“The action of Mayor Becker and Chief Hartneck prove beyond a doubt that they mean business and woe be it to the tavern owner who violates the laws of the village. A word to the wise should be sufficient.”